Re: Status of New D&S Diesels

Will Gant Wrote:
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> Don't epa emissions standards only apply to
> railroads connected to the national interstate
> network? I'm pretty sure most if not all tourist
> railroads are exempt from t4 standards for new
> builds if they are insular

And the rehunn mentions something about build date of the prime mover...

The answer is neither. Current Tier 4 regs, as applied to RR locomotives, are complex. They allow for rebuilding a FRAME to a less compliant emissions tier as long as a certain minimum content of original equipment is present. That calculation gets very strange and explains all the Class 1 rebuild activity going on with the SD90's, GP60s and other things where they don't update some of the components. They're staying under the content percentage.

Interstate commerce has nothing to do with whether you have to be compliant. CARB (California Air Resources Board) has localized regulations for locomotives that never leave some areas (like the LA basin) that are more restrictive, but otherwise relies on US-EPA regs and voluntary agreements.

I strongly suspect that Mr. Harper, at the end of the day, is going to get a locomotive that includes a DPF 'can' whether he wants to or not. You can only stretch the 'rebuild' clause about so far.

(Side note: If you are REALLY interested in the gritty details, I'll ask my wife to tell me what portions of federal CFR apply, she works with these regs for a living. Neither you nor I have enough to make her interested in sorting through the ugly details of those particular regs!)

SRK